LA is for Lovers
by Kiliki-chan
Summary: Matt's POV to "Red is for Valentines." MattxMello. Matt's finally got himself a girlfriend, but is slightly more interested in the fact that Mel's acting so... jealous?
1. Chapter 1

_LA is for Lovers_

_Warning: Yaoi! Boy on boy lurve – but nothing explicit other than Matt's occasional vivid fantasy/daydream. Foul language and lame innuendoes abound._

_Disclaimer: Matt, Mello, and the Death Note universe all belong to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata._

_Author's note: Matt's point of view in the fic "Red is for Valentines," by The Pyrat, (aka my Mello) who gave me permission to write this. Happy birthday love. _

* * *

Some things just _go_ together, you know? Like smoke to a cigarette, or red for valentines. Or I guess in this case, me and Mello.

Not that we're all clingy and inseparable or anything; it's just that he's always been there - we've been friends for pretty much our entire lives. It's kinda past the point of normalcy really, how freakishly comfortable and knowledgeable we are of each other. But I guess that's just what happens when you've had the same best friend for…. Wow, fifteen years, is it? Damn.

So yes, since the days when we were but (adorable) little troublemakers driving Roger to an early grave, it's been us against the world. Partners in crime, speeding through life in a fiery blaze of badassery and bullet shells… Well, except for that one time when Mello decided to run off and join the mafia. But that's really beside the point.

The point being, it's always just been the two of us. Me and Mel. BFFLs and all that. Just a couple of bachelors, living it up without a care.

And like the story of any great friendship, a girl enters the picture and it all goes to hell. Yoko Ono factor or some shit.

But first, I should probably backtrack to how I got into this whole mess…

Her name is Alex. She works down at the gas station convenience store with me, and we have our Monday and Thursday shifts together. Now, it's not like I really meet a lot of people. My idea of a Saturday night well spent involves delivery and Grand Theft Auto IV, and I've never felt the need to go out and make any more friends. I have Mello after all, and believe me, he's more than enough friend to handle.

But Alex… Smart as a whip, ass like a porn star, and a force to be reckoned with at Super Smash Bros. Brawl – it's no wonder we hit it off. We'd talk. We'd smile. She was just easy to be around; quick enough to engage me in intelligent conversation, but laid back enough that it would always stay pleasant and relaxed. After a month working together, I'd say we were actually pretty good friends.

I don't think I've ever really _had_ a friend besides Mello. And as stupid as this sounds…. I felt kinda guilty about it. Which is ridiculous – a guy's allowed to have more than one friend. It's not like Mello _owns_ me or anything… All the same, I didn't mention her at home.

And then that one hot summer night in mid-June… And I don't mean that in the sexy way. Well, not yet at least. I'll get to that in a sec.

It was hot in the achingly literal sense – our air condition was acting up and without that sweet, sweet electricity-powered breeze, our apartment had settled into a box of thick, stuffy air. I swear, the _walls_ were sweating. I picked my lighter up from the coffee table, but paused just before flicking it on. Really, the prospect of having anything burning in this already unbearable room was discouraging enough, and I could only imagine what Mello would do to me for daring to raise the temperature even the slightest bit.

My pack of cigs jiggled with empty space – just three left. I could go pick some up at the gas station while I was out anyway, and maybe there'd be a breeze outside. Or something. Plus, Alex was on shift tonight, and bitter-about-his-receding-hairline Frank was on tomorrow morning, which was enough reason to go stock up now.

"I'm gonna run out and get some cigarettes, 'k Mel?" I said, grabbing the keys off the counter and starting towards the door.

"Matt, you already get a discount, I don't think that's entirely necessary" Mello murmured, smirking slightly as he eyed me up. Did I mention he was lying there on the couch in naught but his birthday suit? It took me a second to process the image of Mello sprawled naked on the cough giving me that look, before I thought to follow his gaze.

Oh, right.

….Pants.

"Here." I blame the heat for making me sluggish – or perhaps Mello for being a little bitch – but either way I found myself with a faceful of jeans, the buckle of my belt having wacked me in the ear when Mello tossed them at my head. "Really, you're useless without me," he smirked.

"No, I'd be _bruiseless_ without you. That smarts you asshole," I muttered, tugging on my jeans and heading towards the door for a second time, Mello's quiet chuckles acting as my exit music.

Aw, a cool breeze…. Or maybe that was just an illusion caused by me walking past the still air. Whatever, it was just one block to the station, where there would be glorious, heavenly air condition… and talking to Alex would be a great excuse to loiter where it was nice and cool.

"Hey Matt," Alex gave a little half-smile in my direction as I walked in, getting up from where she was restocking those little pine tree air-fresheners old people hung on their rear-view mirrors.

"Hey Alex," I replied, taking note of the fact that she seemed oddly…. wilted. Not just from the heat, but like she was…. Sad or something. "You ok? Ya look a little…. tired." Hm. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to chat.

"Is it really that obvious?" She laughed a bit. "It's just been kind of a bad day…." She waved her hand dismissively.

Oh please. I've had Mello tell me 'it's nothing' then blow up at me for being an 'uncaring bastard' often enough to know that's girl-code for "put down the fucking video game and listen to me rant." Not that Mello's a girl or anything, but… yeah.

"What happened?" I asked, finding a comfortable spot leaning against the counter to indicate I was all ears for however long the story would take.

By the time Alex's shift was over, we'd gone through all the sordid details. Though she and her boyfriend had decided to take a break and see other people just last week, he'd apparently been a little pre-emptive with the execution, as it was brought to her attention today that he'd been screwing around with her best friend for over a month… So while the break-up was already over and done with, there was still the blow of betrayal and the fact that Alex was now short a best friend to buy her a nice big box of chocolates or whatever.

Girls like chocolate when they're depressed, right? I mean, Mello practically inhales the stuff when he's pissed off. Again, not that he's a girl or anything. Nor do I think about him in the same way as I would a girl. He just has a few… flamingly girlish tendencies. And I'm almost certain he gets his pants from the women's section. Not that I pay any particularly special attention to his pants. They're just really hard not to notice, and the fit doesn't leave much to the imagination you know. Of course, I don't really need to use my imagination anyway, I'd seen Mel butt naked loads of times since we were kids, and with the heat lately he's taken to wearing nothing at all around the apart-

"You know, you're a really great listener," Alex finished up her monologue, and jerking me back to reality from my own inner ramble.

"Anytime," I shrugged, remedying my guilt at not being completely attentive by holding open the door for her as we exited the store.

"Now all I need is a tall, icy pina colada, and I will be officially over it," Alex stated, unfastening her 'Hello, my name is' pin and tossing it into her purse. "There's that nice little bar right by my apartment I think I'll stop by," she mused to herself, then brushed her long dark hair out of her eyes to look at me. "You want to join me?"

Did I have a choice? Letting a girl that pretty and emotionally fragile get drunk alone was just asking for trouble, and as her friend I'm responsible for her safety, right? Make sure she doesn't make any bad choices, jump into anything she might regret later?

"Yeah, sure, a drink sounds good."

…

So, assuming my job was to prevent Alex from hastily jumping into drunken rebound sex, I think we can conclude the mission status as 'epic fail.'

Like I said, it's not like I meet a lot of girls. And a guy has needs. Throbbing, aching needs. But I'm not really a one night stand type of guy – the idea leaves me with this terrible, empty feeling inside. This might sound kinda mushy and gay, but isn't that kind of thing supposed to be an expression of love, done with someone you really care about? And I really did care about Alex. She wasn't just some random hot chick; we were good friends and I felt really at ease with her, just hanging, or talking.

Or, you know, doing other things.

"Mmm, Matt," she giggled, playfully fighting me off as she struggled to extricate herself from the tangle of naked limbs and sex-rumpled sheets. "Hey, leggo, I have to take a shower before class." She finally managed to grab my wrists and I held still so she could lean over and give me a quick good morning kiss. When she pulled away it was only a few inches, just enough to see the wicked smile on her face. "Though, you're welcome to join me. If you're feeling a little dirty, you know."

…

Two hours and one eventful shower later, I was at the mini-mart, since I had never really gotten around to getting those cigarettes last night. And it'd be just plain weird if what was supposed to be a quick errand had taken all night, and I didn't even have the cigs to show for it. Mello would certainly wonder where the hell-

Fuck. Mello. I fished my cell phone out of my pocket snapping it open to check my missed calls. We don't exactly live in the ritzy part of L.A., and I'd guess that if you had mafia ties and your roommate walked out into the night for a pack of cigarettes and never came back, you'd be slightly concerned, right? Or at least try to find out where the hell he is.

…Unless you're Mello, apparently. Hm, no missed calls. Heart of stone, that bastard. I sighed and held down the first button on my speed dial. Might as well check if Mello wanted anything while I was out. It'd be a pain in the ass if the first thing I heard when I got home was Mello yelling at me to go out and pick up chocolate or something. Though I pre-empted that and got some chocolate ice cream – it was too hot to be eating bars of the thing anyway.

"Where are you?" Mello's voice demanded irritably after the second ring, not bothering with pleasantries.

"Nice greeting," I rolled my eyes. Well, at least he noticed I was gone. "I guess I should be flattered. What do you know, Mels cares about me."

"Yeah right." I could _hear_ his eyes roll. "Anyway, you got an answer? I'm dying here."

I paused for a split second, suddenly unsure how to reply. 'I was having sex with this girl I'm kinda seeing that I never told you about?' Because really, it was at the point now where it was a bit weird that I hadn't mentioned her to Mello. It'd be inviting the question 'Why the hell didn't you tell me about her?' which I also didn't have an answer to. So I avoided it entirely.

"Heat sucks, huh? Listen, I'm on my way home, do you want anything from the mini-mart?" Yes. Very smooth.

"Ice. And a Gatorade, I'm about to dry up." Question successfully avoided! I could delay the moment of confrontation that much longer.

Which wasn't really that long, since I was already at the check-out counter, and it was a short walk home. Figures there'd be no line the one time you want there to be one. And there'd be no side-stops with that already dripping bag of ice threatening the strength of the paper bag. So before I knew it, I was back at the apartment and still no flash of inspiration.

As expected he gave me the third degree when I walked in, which was made no less intimidating by the fact that he still hadn't put on any clothes since last night. Asking outright, beating around the bush by asking if I got my cigarettes, throwing out all pretense and calling me out as a terrible liar… Luckily I was able to distract him with a little naked wrestling.

Remember what I said about being freakishly comfortable with each other? Yeah.

It was just a playful scuffle, and I let it end with Mello on top, crouching over me on all fours, naked and sweaty and breathing hard. Really, it was like I had just ravished him or something. Though, having him like that over me didn't seem uncomfortable in the least… It felt completely natural. Though I suppose the Mello being naked bit _should_ have been a bit weird…

"You know, common decency requires you to wear some clothing," I said, grinning up at him.

"Yeah, well common California weather requires me not to," he replied instantly. "Unless you want me to melt."

"You already melted your _face_," I laughed, poking at his scar. I wasn't serious about wanting him to put on clothes anyway – it didn't bother me either way. Though the fact that I had been in this exact same position hours ago, with someone else, kinda did. I was feeling oddly… guilty. Like I was somehow betraying him or something. Which is absolutely ridiculous. Would Mello even care? I've only ever lavished attention on him, he's the only person I've ever really cared about… Surely he'd get upset if I did those kinds of things for someone else? Or maybe not, maybe he wasn't particularly sentimental about this kind of stuff…

By now we had stopped with the banter and I was flipping through the channels, stopping on some Spanish soap opera where a couple was making out like they were starring in a softcore porn. Was that supposed to be sexy? I haven't exactly kissed all that many people – should I be taking notes or something?

"Look at that," I gestured towards the TV screen with the remote. "Holy _crap_, he's eating her _face_."

"You're nuts," Mello chuckled. "And you still haven't told me where you were." Wow, so much for distraction. Persistent little bugger, huh?

"It's none of your business," I resorted to simply claming up. And it really _wasn't_ his business, right? We were just friends – best friends, sure, but nothing that would give him some kind of claim to know every sordid detail of my stunted love life.

"I can make you talk," he insisted, shoving his foot up against my face. "I can tie you up and make you."

…Kinky.

What?! Don't look at me like that. The guy dresses like a freaking dominatrix half the time, it's a logical association to make. It's not _that_ much of a stretch of the imagination to rotate our positions slightly so that he'd be standing over me while I'm tied up on the floor, crushing my face against the hardwood with the rough undersides of his boot.

…okay, maybe that was entirely too vivid for just an example. It doesn't matter anyway, there's no way he'd get me in such a position unless I let him – Mel's like half my size.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try Mello. I could kick your ass any day," I gave him a teasingly superior smile, and he 'hmphed' and moved his foot back down, but didn't argue with me.

Pity, really, that might have been fun.

Ugh, I meant like, in the playful naked scuffle type way like we just did, not anything else. Mind out of the gutter now. Maybe I'm just relating everything to sex because I've suddenly got someone to do it with now…

Fuck, I still haven't told Mello about Alex. But… he's not my keeper or anything. I really shouldn't feel the need to ask permission to go on a fucking date – I'm twenty-one years old, dammit! Who the hell asks for permission from their friends anyway? Isn't it more normal to just keep that stuff kinda separate? Sure, me and Mello have done…. Pretty much everything together, since forever… but that doesn't mean I can't still do things on my own right? It's not like we're freaking married or anything. And Mel went off and did the whole mafia thing on his own, so…

"Hey, Mels…we're friends right?" I broke the silence that had elapsed in an awkward attempt to subtly gauge his feelings on the situation.

He gave me an odd look. "Of course we are." Okay, fine, stupid question. Now how to get a little more specific…

"You know…we're cool? You and me?" If the blank look he was giving me was any indication, I hadn't exactly made myself a whole lot clearer.

"Yeeaah…are you going somewhere with this?"

I shrugged. "Not really. I was just thinking…we share an apartment and stuff…" I looked him in the eye to drive home my point. "But we have our own lives."

"Yes."

"We do our own things. But we're friends. We're free to do as we want. Have other friends too and…and you know just…live our own lives." There, I think that got what I was trying to say across, right? Maybe not so eloquently as Mello would have done, not that he'd ever ask permission to do anything, anyway. Crap, that's pretty much what I just did, isn't it? Ask permission to have a girlfriend. Aw well, at least it was subtle enough that it could have been any number of things…

"Whatever Matt," Mello completely disregarded my heartfelt and painful admission, standing up. "Did you get drunk last night or something?"

I blinked at the sudden change in subject. "No. Well maybe a little, but-"

"Ah, okay," He smirked at me. "So you went out to get cigarettes, somehow ended up getting drunk and…let me guess…was it a one-night stand?"

What the-?! How did he figure that one out? Gah, bastard sees right through me. "Well…sort of…"

"And you thought I'd care?" He laughed. "Why the hell would I care? Do what you want man. I don't know what you were making a big deal about it for. Unless you're shy because it was your first time or something."

"It wasn't," I answered, trying not to feel foolish for being so naïve as to think Mello would give a damn about my love life. "And I didn't think you'd care. Really, why would I think you would care? I didn't think that. You were just being nosy. I have my own business." And it's not like I _cared_ that he didn't care.

Mello grabbed his bag of ice and Gatorade and started on his way to the bedroom.

"Look, it could have been as easy as saying, 'I was out late because I fucked a whore'. That's not so hard."

"Don't say that," I snapped. Fine, maybe me finding a girl didn't matter to him, but that doesn't mean it didn't matter to _me_. There can be more to sex than just lust, no matter what Mello thinks. I've heard him whine like the most cynical emo blonde kid ever that love is just a fabricated justification for giving into sexual urges, but that's bullshit. And no pulling the poor unloved orphan card either – I took a fucking _bullet_ for him. Three, in fact, driving away from Takada's crazy bodyguards. Just cause _he_ clearly doesn't give a fuck doesn't mean no one's ever cared about _him_.

…

And then things started to get a little weird. I thought I was being paranoid at first – maybe I really did leave my cell phone on the bed instead of on the nightstand next to it, and maybe that annoying feeling that I was being watched/overheard was just in my imagination. I've never kept secrets from Mello before, and I'm used to him knowing everything about me, so of course I'd feel a little weird about it. And I trust the guy enough to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Sometimes trusting Mello is stupid.

I had gone down to the convenience store to pick up some cigarettes and visit Alex at work. Nothing unusual about that, we were just talking and laughing and having a grand ole time.

"Sooo, you get off work in ten minutes, right?" I gave her a devious little smile.

"And I'm sure your showing up just now is a _complete_ coincidence," Alex rolled her eyes, but was smiling anyway. "Sorry to break your heart Matty, but I'm already booked. There's a wild LAN party going down at a friend's house that I simply can't miss."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that group project you had to work on today," I said feeling a bit sheepish. Maybe I was just distracted cause I had the weirdest feeling I was being _watched_. "Just as long as your remember I'm the only guy that can access your server," I said lamely with a big cheesy grin.

"Gah, you're such a geek!" Alex laughed, giving me a playful shove.

"Psh, I'm not the one going to LAN parties," I teased, leaning in just enough to fluster her a bit, since she was at work at all. Seriously, I must have found the sexist computer science major in the entire state of California. "Though you should let me know if you're up for an afterparty…" Why did I still feel like something was slightly off? Though Alex's tank top was proving a far more interesting area of inspection than my surrounding area.

"I'll think about it," Alex grinned back at me. The smile left her eyes though, as she leaned forward a bit to tell me something. "And… don't turn around, but there's a guy standing outside that's been glaring at us through the window for the last three minutes, and it's kind of freaking me out."

"Wha-?" That nagging feeling that had been bothering me since I left the apartment finally registered, and I immediately turned around, while Alex shook her head witheringly at my completely lack of discretion. Not that it mattered, it could really only be one person, but I was under the impression he didn't _care_.

"Holy fucking shit!"

Sure enough, there was Mello, glaring at me through the window like death itself, his presence somehow like rolling thunderclouds of Armageddon piercing the otherwise cheery California sunshine. An illusion that was quickly shattered when he ducked behind the display of packaged snack foods, probably looking absolutely ridiculous scurrying away down the sidewalk in that crouched position. Did I mention Mello absolutely sucked at stealth? He's more the direct confrontation type, so I knew he'd be waiting for me outside.

"Sorry babe, I gotta go talk to someone," I said leaning in to give Alex a quick peck. "Call me later, k?"

"Sure, when my code's compiling," Alex smiled, waving me out the door. Seriously, this was kind of fucked up. No sooner had I stepped out the door, when Mello almost ran into me, as if he had just happened to be walking past. Right.

"What the hell?" I demanded. "Mello-"

"What are you doing here?" Mello interrupted me, catching me off guard with the completely illogicalness of his question. I took a moment to stare at him in utter confusion.

"I always get my cigarettes here. I work here, so I get a discount. You know, I'm pretty sure I've explained this before." Hold on a sec, why the hell am I explaining myself? "I think the better question is what are _you_ doing here?"

"Me? Well… I'm…"

Ok, now he was just stalling. That was odd, Mello always had an answer.

"I'm going to mass of course."

If Mello was looking to distract by confusion, he was certainly succeeding. Going to church? Sure, he had the Jesus necklaces and all, but it'd be slightly more believable if he told me he had got back into the mafia and was staking out the place to kill my boss for owing someone money.

"Mello," I tried to inject a modicum of sanity into this conversation, "You don't even own a Bible."

"They have Bibles in church," he said without missing a beat. "But you haven't answered my question. What are you-"

"I bought cigs!" I held out my cancer sticks, shaking them in Mello's face for good measure. Seriously, what was with the interrogation?! And Mello acting so strangely? He was never so flustered that he'd be this bad a liar. "Mello, you…" I pulled out a cigarette to calm me down and try to make a little sense of the situation. "You are beyond comprehension. You're bizarre. Are you getting sick are something?"

"Oh _I'm_ bizarre. _I'm_ the weird one," Mello muttered angrily, peering in through the window with a determined look on his face. "What's your deal? All this sneaking around?"

Cigarettes give me magic thinking powers, or something. Or at least clear my mind so that I can see everything fall neatly into place. Of _course_. It was rather obvious, wasn't it?"

"Are you spying on me?" I asked.

"You know, it's just plain rude to so obviously be keeping secrets," he exclaimed, obviously irritated, giving up on hiding it at this point. "But whatever. It's not like I care."

I barely fought back a smile while rolling my eyes. "Yeah, you clearly don't give a damn."

So he _did_ care after all. And that thought was making me inordinately pleased.

"Exactly. Now-" he glanced at his watch without really looking at it. "Damn Matt, look at that. I'm late! Geez, you are so inconsiderate. Keeping me here, babbling away, wasting my time. You just can't shut your mouth can you? Some of us have responsibilities to a higher power, and I have to go."

I couldn't help it; I cracked a little smirk. It was just so ridiculously _cute_, big bad mafia Mello flustered and babbling like a schoolgirl, and keeping up that ridiculous lie out of sheer stubbornness. "Higher power, right." I teased him, blowing a little smoke in his direction just to be annoying. "Have fun," I grinned, taking off down the street with a little spring in my step.

So Mello _did_ care after all. Cared very much in fact – enough to practically stalk me. The thought filled me with a weird sense of happiness. Surely he had figured out I was seeing someone by now, so it really wasn't much of a secret anymore, though apparently not knowing who it was, was driving him crazy. It was amusing really, and I wondered how long he'd keep up this charade before admitting he was interested in my life and asking me.

Probably never, Mello had the stubborn pride of his, and he never liked showing the 'weaker' emotions. It didn't matter, I'd get him to admit he cared eventually.

My cell vibrated with the arrival of a new text message, and I flipped it open and grinned at the note. "Dnt get shanked by stalkerz, I want 2 c u 2nite. Ilu. 3 –A"

I need to stop obsessing over the whole getting Mel to admit anything thing. Really, why should I care about that? I've got Alex to text tell me that sort of thing all the time. And I like her too. Really.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

_Thank you everyone, for the lovely reviews last chapter! They made me so happy. __:D I haven't written fanfiction in years, and even then never finished a chaptered story, so I love the encouragement. :) I feel a little bad about taking so long to update this though, so I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner this time. _

_I also just realized that Mello's been naked a lot in this fic, and he's not even with Matt yet… XD_

* * *

So now it was down to a battle of the wills. Mel obviously cared about who else I was hanging out with, but if he wasn't going to admit it, he could just go ahead and stay curious. I knew that kind of thing would drive him crazy.

And now that I knew he was following me I could take the standard precautions – hiding in the bathrooms to make my phone calls, switching up my routes when I would go meet Alex, not announcing it when I left the apartment… Like I said, Mello sucks at stealth. It wasn't exactly difficult to lose him.

Though, while sneaking around like a hormonal teenager with strict parents was certainly a fun little game, I'm not nearly as stubborn as Mello. When common sense comes into the equation, I'll usually take that over my pride, and I couldn't very well avoid bringing Alex back to the apartment. She deserved to at least see the place, even if it wasn't much.

"Shh… We don't want to wake up my roommate," I stage whispered to Alex between kisses, as we settled onto my couch in the quiet sunlight of the early morning.

"Mm… okay," Alex replied, and pushed me away slightly so she could talk. "Shouldn't we go to your room then?"

Uh… You're looking at it? We just had a little three-room deal, and Mello usually took the bed while I played video games undisturbed in the main room until I finally crashed on the couch.

"Er, we share a room, so this is probably better," I said vaguely, then stood up. "Wait here, I got something for you."

I really do like getting little presents and things for people; I just enjoy seeing that little twitch of the mouth that signals pleasant surprise. Though I guess by 'people' I mean 'Mello,' since I don't really talk to anyone else… Well, except Alex now too. And, since Alex was my first girlfriend and all, I did want to do something sweet and romantic for her.

…Chocolate is romantic, right?

It's up there with flowers and stuffed animals, but I wouldn't feel nearly as stupid walking out of a store with a box of nice chocolates. And thanks to Mel, I know a hell of a lot more about different types of chocolate than I do different types of flowers. Plus, flowers and teddy bears are really kind of useless; you can at least eat chocolate. And if the way Mello eats it sometimes is any indication, it sure as hell is sensual. Seriously, the way his face gets sometimes when he's eating a real fancy chocolate bar – you'd think the bar was nibbling on _him_, not the other way around. It's almost obscene.

Which is kind of exactly where I was going with this.

I started off sweet, placing the first chocolate into Alex's mouth before having one myself, all smiles and hushed giggles as we took the time to just savor the first bite. Because for the second and third bites, I planned on being occupied with a few other things besides taste. "Here, let's split this one." This time I placed the chocolate between my teeth and leaned in towards Alex so she could bite off the other half as we started to kiss.

I had been slightly worried the mechanics of this wouldn't work out exactly as planned (eating and kissing probably being a bit awkward, and how would chewing or swallowing work?) but things were going surprisingly well. The chocolate was softened from the heat already, and melted quickly in our mouths, so it wasn't even like eating really... more like kiss lubricant. Chocolate-flavored kiss lubricant. Shut-up, you know that's the best way to describe it.

And oh, but chocolate was _meant_ to be shared like this… The thick stickiness coating the insides of both our mouths, slowing us down to a luxuriously slow pace… Everything tasting of bitter dark chocolate, laced with a hint of sweetness… Oh _God_ this is fucking awesome. I guess I had gotten it into my head that a kiss should taste like chocolate or something, because this really was adding a new layer of 'hell yes' to it all. I felt a tongue dart out to lick away a bit of chocolate that had melted against my bottom lip, pausing to suck every last bit off –

"Ahem."

I cracked open an eye at the sound, my mouth still engaged in a chocolate-flavored ecstasy, only to be met with the sight of Mello's penis, dangling not two feet in front of me.

Understandably I choked. The sudden association of chocolate-lubricated anything and Mello's junk was just too close for comfort.

"Geez Mel, do you mind?" I yelped, freezing up in mid-caress so that Alex couldn't turn around to see Mello. Who, having just woken up, was standing there completely naked.

He growled a question at me, but I didn't hear it due to the sudden and inexplicable feeling of _panic_ that suddenly went through me. Mello was naked. There was someone in the apartment besides me. Therefore, someone besides me would be able to see Mello naked.

"Go get dressed would you?" I snapped, keeping a firm but gentle grip on Alex, whose eyes suddenly widened in understanding. Really, it was one thing for Mello to walk around au natural while I was around, that was totally ok. We're cool. But you don't go around like that in front of just _anybody_. It was… indecent!

"It's my house too. I'll go around naked if I want to. Now how did that get in the house?" Mello crossed his arms, clearly having no intention of being cooperative.

"One minute," I said apologetically to Alex, giving her a light squeeze on the shoulder as I stood up and grabbed a fistful of Mello's hair to drag him to the bedroom. Of course he wasn't going to take that sitting down, and we ended up in a bit of a walking scuffle by the time we got to the bedroom and I had safely closed the door, pinning my best glare on Mello.

"Mello, has it ever even occurred to you that not everyone in the world wants to see you naked?" I demanded, grabbing some clothes from the closet and throwing them at Mello. Though even if the entire world _did_ want to see Mello naked, that didn't mean the entire world should necessarily _get_ to. "Get dressed. I don't want her thinking I live with a freaking nudist."

"Ah, so you have a girlfriend?" he asked, completely ignoring the pile of clothes I had thrown at him to give me a scrutinizing look.

"Yeah, I do," I answered. "And I'd like to be able to bring her over without you doing…this." I gestured awkwardly at my still-naked roommate. Mello rolled his eyes slightly, but grabbed some underwear and shorts and began to get dressed.

"That's the problem with girlfriends, Matt. They interfere with your entire life," he lectured. Like he's ever even _had_ a girlfriend. "See, one-night stands are better. No commitment, no having to change your life to impress anyone. And just a quick note here: she's not _my_ girlfriend. Why does she have to interfere with _my_ life? And what was the deal with all the secrecy?"

"Just shut up, would you?" I sat down on the bed, trying to gather my thoughts. Of course Mello disapproved, I never even entertained the fantasy that he'd just give me a friendly slap on the back and be all peaches and cream about the whole thing… But he needed to get it through his head that I wasn't looking for a quick fuck, I wanted something that would last. That I could hold on to in this crazy life of hopping countries and fake names, where I could disappear and no one would even know I had existed in the first place.

Except Mello, of course. Though he kind of just verbally spit in the face of emotional attachments.

"Look, I don't want to live like this my whole life, okay? I'm not into just using people and throwing them away." I glared pointedly at him. "Her name is Alex, and she works down at the gas station with me. I didn't tell you because… Well I didn't want you to get upset. I mean, since it's always just been us-"

"She isn't moving in," Mello interrupted, frowning even as he put on his rosary. "No way."

"She's already rooming with a friend near the college," I said, a little taken aback by the very idea. Mello's the only person I've ever lived with, the closest thing to family I'd ever have. I couldn't imagine 'coming home' to anyone else. "I wouldn't have her move in with us."

He continued to look at me suspiciously. "Are you going to marry her?"

I'm pretty sure my jaw must've dropped in shock at the ridiculous suggestion. "No. No, no, no. I'm not thinking marriage here, man, sheesh," I said quickly. Sure, I liked Alex well enough, and I said I wanted something that would last, but I've never given a thought to signing over the rest of my _life_ to her. The only person I could really see myself ever spending the rest of my life with was…

"I was just checking," Mello said, stopping his line of questioning. "Whatever. It's your life right?"

I nodded. Of course. It's my life. Mello's got nothing to do with it.

…Okay, that's a blatant lie, he's got everything to do with it. He'd _had_ everything to do with it up until now, and will probably continue to have everything to do it for… well, the rest of my life. Just, not in the romance department.

Oh, who am I kidding, even _that's_ not sacred. I can't imagine him just sitting back and watching this go on without causing some mayhem of some sort.

"Just try to be nice, okay? Don't offend her."

"Sure, whatever," Mello answered, which was really the best I could've hoped for I guess.

We walked back into the main room, assuring Alex that all was well and making the general introductions and small talk. I have to admit, I was getting a little tense with Mello and Alex talking for some reason, even though he was making the effort to be polite. It's kind of like two of your worlds suddenly colliding, you know? And a split of loyalties. Like I was bringing the girlfriend home to meet the wife.

Er - best friend. Yes, it was clearly more like that situation. Classic dilemma. Perfectly normal to be entirely uncomfortable and wanting to end this awkward scene as soon as possible, shoving both parties back into their respective universes. It wasn't long before there was a lull in the conversation, and I decided to snatch the opportunity to escape before my good luck ran out.

"Well, me and Alex were actually gonna go catch a movie, and stop by the pool afterwards," I announced, standing up. I'm not sure what exactly I was anxious about, but something was telling me no good could come from this. A quick escape was best. Unfortunately, Alex had to go throw a wrench in the gears of my master plan, grinding the whole delicate machine to a screeching halt.

"Since you're Matt's roommate and all, I think it would be nice for me to get to know you too," she said, making me freeze in my tracks. "You don't mind, do you Matty?"

Yes, of course, bring Mello along. Prolong my awkward and torn mental state. What could possibly go wrong? Oh Jesus, this could not end well. And I did _not_ like the way Mello was snickering like that.

"No. I don't mind at all."

…

The lights in the theater dimmed, signaling the start of the movie previews, and now I was sitting in the dark with Mello to my right, and Alex to my left.

Well, this wasn't awkward at _all_.

Especially when Alex started rubbing my knee like that. If Mello wasn't here we'd be making out by now – but I couldn't really do that now, could I? Wouldn't that be terribly inconsiderate? Or would it be _more_ inconsiderate to put the filter on my date with Alex and not kiss her at all? Would she be mad if I got all stiff and awkward, 'ruining' our date? What is one supposed to do in a situation where it's your girlfriend or your best friend – you can't really choose between those! Oh God, the pressure! How the hell do people deal with the politics of social situations 24/7?!

Alright, calm down. Alex will know what to do – she's the one that invited Mello along anyway. Clearly she knows the proper protocol for these types of dilemmas. I'll just follow her lead. Which seemed to be just to act natural. Like if Mello wasn't there.

I did say that if Mello wasn't there we'd be playing tonsil hockey by now, right? So yes, that's exactly what transpired.

Fucking. Awkward. I was making out with Alex, Mello sitting not three inches to my right, and I swear to God, he was _watching_.

…I think. Maybe I was just being paranoid again. Because really, this was all rather stressful and could very well be making me see things that weren't there. Like Mello running his tongue over his lips like that, the thin coat of saliva giving his pout a pearlescent shine in the dim light…

Dammit, I should really be paying more attention to Alex. Or maybe less. All this nervousness was making me tense up, and I was releasing all that frustration by being a bit more intense in a public setting than I probably should be. Maybe that was why Mello was watching. _Was_ he watching? Should I care?

I can't say I wasn't a little relieved when he suddenly got up and left, mumbling that he'd be back in a minute. I finally relaxed a little bit, keeping an eye out for his return, but he didn't come back for the rest of the movie.

We found him again on the way out, sitting by the concession stand and biting on a chocolate bar slightly more viciously than normal. Warning lights immediately went off in my head that he was now in a _mood_. Suspicions confirmed when Alex made the mistake of implying that perhaps chocolate was not the end-all panacea substance of the gods.

There was a tense moment when Mello basically told me to quit with the 'public porn act' and I bet I turned as red as my hair. So apparently he _was_ watching, and it was enough to disgust him to the point of leaving. Which was not entirely complimentary, coming from the guy that probably buys half his wardrobe from fetish shops. Luckily Alex dissipated the tension by poking a hole in Mello's ego when he started going off. She's really something, that girl. I like her.

No, no, I should say I love her. Cause I do. Really.

I just need to keep telling myself that.

…

A nice cool dip in the pool was exactly what I needed now, to try and relax while maintaining the balance of being a good best friend and a proper boyfriend, without sliding into the category of 'public porn.'

Goddammit, life was so much easier when I only had one person to please.

Anyway, Mello was of course stubborn at first, refusing to swim in the 'cesspit of bodily fluids' or put on sunscreen when it was obvious he'd fry up within the hour, while Alex and I splashed around and enjoyed ourselves. She eventually got out of the pool and ended up talking to Mello for a while, and I chuckled a bit to myself since it almost looked like they were bonding while tanning together, or something equally girlish. Whatever Alex said though, she managed to get Mello to finally put on some sunscreen by the time I decided to come out and join them, giving her a quick peck on arrival.

"Don't forget your back, too" she reminded as Mello finished up his arms, causing him to scowl darkly at the suggestion.

"I'll get it, Mel," I said quickly, cutting off any smart-ass comment that might've been on the way and plucking the bottle of sunscreen out of Mello's hands. He was still clearly not in the best mood, and if I was gonna do this balancing thing right, I needed to make sure I paid him some proper attention too, yes?

Plus, Mello has… really nice skin. Flawless actually. Well, except for the gigantic burn scar running down half his face and over his entire left shoulder. But that really only serves to emphasize how smooth and blemishless the rest of it is in contrast. And soft too, despite all the rough materials he wears. It was kind of nice, having an excuse to run my fingers all over it like this. Across the shoulders and the wiry muscles there, up to the tender bit where shoulder turned into neck, teasing down the spine, to his lower back and approaching the waistband of his swim trunks…

Mello flinched, jerking me back to the reality of the situation, and the fact that he was all tensed up. Shit, did I just make him uncomfortable?

Wait, that was ridiculous. Rewind, if you will, to this morning and the strutting around naked bit. There are a lot of words to describe Mello, but 'shy' isn't one of them.

"Done," I said, deciding to ignore it for now. I was suddenly kind of hot though, and getting back in the water seemed like a good idea. I casually tossed the sunscreen onto a towel, then proceeded to blatantly ignore the 'no running' and 'no diving' signs by taking a running jump into the pool, announcing my presence with a yell of warning as I cannonballed into the deep end.

When I surfaced, I was immediately splashed in the face with the spray from Mello's dive, coughing a bit as some of the water went up my nose. Competitive little fucker did a flip in. He came up for a gulp of air before going back down again, holding his breath.

Huh, well what do you know. Mel finally deigned to follow me into the pool, germs and shared bodily fluids and all. I paddled over to where he was holding his breath underwater, intending to get my revenge for that little splash. Besides, I haven't played with Mello _all day_.

Almost a full minute later he started to swim up for air, and I playfully pushed his head back down under, just as he was reaching the surface. He immediately dug his fingernails sharply into my forearm, using the leverage to come up fast behind me, pushing down on my shoulders to dunk me in the water while raising himself up for a breath of air. I turned myself around, dragging Mello down and pushing him beneath me so that we were both underwater now.

And then he suddenly let go – a strange look of surprise and horror on his face. Really, what was wrong with him lately? Well, maybe he just swallowed some pool water and was freaking out about it. We horsed around for a while longer, coming up to the surface eventually for air, but not pausing in the water assault. Well, _I_ didn't pause at least. Mello froze for an instant, making it easy for me to twist his arm behind his back and pin him against the side of the pool.

"Ha! Got you Mello. You got weak there for a second. Can't let your guard down around me. Give up?" I teased, pressing him into the cement a little while he half-heartedly struggled against me.

"Yeah, I give up," Mello said in a strange voice.

Huh. That was weird. Not only did he let me pin him, he gave up entirely too easily. Even if I had done something wrong and he was pissed, this wouldn't exactly be normal behavior. I let go of his wrists but didn't back off, just shifted my arms so that I was draped over his shoulders now, turning my head so I could get a good look at his face. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he said, nodding quickly. I smiled at that, but wasn't entirely convinced.

"Look, I know this whole thing with Alex is really sudden," I said a bit guiltily, since I hadn't let him know until it was already a full-fledged relationship. "You're not mad, are you?"

"No," he said right away, as if such a thing were ridiculous. "Of course not. Why would I be mad? It's great, you finally dating someone."

That got me to raise my eyebrows. Mello _wanted_ me to date? Wasn't he completely against this like, this morning? Did he really not care if I spent my time off at the movies with Alex, instead of goofing off in the pool with him? …For some reason that hurt. "You really think so?"

"Yeah. Why? Don't you?" he shot right back at me. I pulled myself up out of the pool, suddenly feeling very tired, and somehow defeated.

"Of course I do," I mumbled unenthusiastically, laying down on the hot cement and letting it burn all the water droplets off my body. "It's the best thing in the world, just about." _Besides laying here next to you_. "Having a girl and all…" I needed to stop sounding like I was trying to convince myself. "Maybe you should try dating sometime." So I can stop feeling so damn guilty.

"I don't think so," he said, getting out of the pool as well. "I really don't think there's any girl out there that would put up with me for long."

Well those girls are all idiots. I've put up with you my whole life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Mello didn't deserve to be lonely though. Surely there was _some_ girl out there for him that could deal with his personality.

"Well, Halle likes you. You still have her number, don't you?" I suggested. Mello didn't answer, but the look on his face told me plain enough that he wasn't terribly enthused with the idea. Truth be told, I wasn't either… but that was just being selfish, me wanting to keep Mello all for myself.

…

By the end of the day, I had accumulated quite the load of confusion and tension. Mello and Alex finally meeting, the guilt I felt whenever I was with one and not the other, my frustrations with Mello and all these doubts I was so desperately trying to keep from surfacing to my consciousness… It can really leave a guy feeling pretty frustrated, you know.

Me and Alex fucked like rabbits that night.

And we did it on Mello's bed. Well, it's mine too technically, but Mello's the one that always sleeps on it. When we walked in, the covers were still tangled from when he had lain there this morning, as naked as Alex and I were right now. I didn't know whether to feel guilty or incredibly turned on. The fact that he was in the next room, probably hearing every gasp and moan, wasn't helping matters.

My mind was a jumble of emotions, but if I stopped to think, I had a feeling I might not like the conclusions.

So I simply refused to think. Just lost myself in the heat of passion again and again, until we were both exhausted enough to fall into a deep sleep. Maybe if I was lucky, when I woke up there'd be some kinda cosmic sign to make my decisions for me.

* * *

_If you've read Mello's POV, "Red is for Valentines," you know what's coming. XD Also, I've never actually kissed anyone while eating chocolate, so that scene very well might not work out as well in real life as my imagination says it does. Try it out and let me know, ok? … For science. _


End file.
